Fatal fire cause announced

76-year-old Eddie King of Albany was killed in an East Albany fire Saturday night, and AFD investigators say the cause of the fire was someone smoking in the basement of the house, and bedding catching fire.

Fire investigators say the two story house, in the 1100 block of East Third Avenue, was 60 percent involved in flames on both levels when their first truck arrived.

AFD says that Arthur Coven's face was burned in the fire as he tried to put it out. He was transported to the hospital by EMS. He is in fair condition in the hospital as of Monday.

Five people, including a four year old child, were able to escape the home uninjured.

Fire officials say they used 3,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze, which is a large amount for a house fire.

"The fire started in the basement area. They were using for a bedroom. The fire victim was one the second floor, and
it appears that the fire traveled up through the stairwell. Which could have prevented him from getting
out, because he would have had to come through the heat," said Albany Fire Chief James
Carswell.

The Flint River Chapter of the American Red
Cross is assisting five people displaced from the home.

Eddie King is the first fatality of 2014 in Dougherty County, but the 16th fire fatality in the state of Georgia so far in January.